Earthquake source inversions image the spatio-temporal rupture evolution on one or more fault planes using seismic and/or geodetic data. Source inversion methods thus represent important research tools in seismology to unravel the complexity of the earthquake rupture process. Researchers are using source-inversion results to study earthquake mechanics, to develop spontaneous dynamic rupture models, to build models for generating rupture realizations for ground-motion simulations, and to perform Coulomb-stress modeling. In all these applications, the underlying finite-source rupture models are treated as "data" (input information), but the uncertainties in these data (i.e. source models obtained from solving an inherently ill-posed inverse problem) are hardly known, and almost always neglected. The Source Inversion Validation (SIV) project is born out of recent efforts to better understand the intra-event variability of earthquake rupture models, as documented in the finite-source rupture model database.

During this workshop will review our recent activities and results regarding Green's function testing and a forward-modeling exercise for a finite-fault kinematic rupture. Additionally, we will examine initial inversion results for a first test problem, discussing also optimal seismic-network geometries for finite-fault studies.

We invite presentations that discuss SIV modeling/testing results, but also general contributions on source-inversion methodologies, analysis of resolution and model errors, and source-model variability in general. New approaches to source inversion and error characterization are also welcome. Presentations that highlight robust features of sources inversions or discriminate between artifacts and true heterogeneities are particularly encouraged.